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SANTA ANA – Santa Ana has sued to place the long-abandoned Saddleback Inn property under a receiver who would see to it that repairs are made to fix what the city has for years contended are unsafe conditions.

Named as defendants are Saddleback Inn LLC, which holds a leasehold interest in the property on which the old inn sits, and the Elks Building Association of Santa Ana, which owns the 2.4-acre parcel on which the four hotel buildings sit. The parcel is adjacent to the Santa Ana Elks Lodge.

"The unlawful, dangerous and substandard conditions on the subject property substantially endanger the health and safety of the public, especially the citizens of Santa Ana living or working in the area," the suit said. "The city has attempted every feasible method to motivate and compel respondents and their predecessors to abate the dangerous and substandard conditions on the subject property. Nonetheless, the subject property has continuously and progressively deteriorated."

The lawsuit lists 23 problems that the city contends are dangerous. They include water damage, rotting wood, rusting metal, damaged walls, broken windows, vagrants and extensive fire damage. It listed violation notices that date to 1994.

Last year, fire caused extensive damage to a building on the south side of the property, turning it into "a significant hazard," the suit said.

A representative of the inn said that demolition of the fire-damaged building was expected to begin today.

An Orange County judge in April ordered Santa Ana to allow the owners of the long-closed Saddleback Inn the option to repair the property after the city ordered the once-popular inn demolished.

According to the suit, the owners of the Saddleback Inn admitted in a May letter to the city that they had not begun rehabilitation of the property or started work on a repair schedule mandated by the court. The city said it followed up with a letter in June reminding Saddleback Inn owners of their obligation to develop a repair schedule, citing the property's dangerous conditions.

After another inspection in September, the city issued a "repair or abate" order directing the owners to begin repairs within 10 days, with a 30-day deadline to complete them. Citing no significant progress, the city sued in Orange County Superior Court on Oct. 30 for appointment of a receiver. A receiver would take control of the property and work with contractors to see that problems are corrected through repair or demolition.

In emails sent during the summer, Kevin Jones, an attorney representing Saddleback Inn's owners and general counsel of J.K. Residential Services, said his client had been working with developers on a plan to turn the hotel into low-income senior housing, but that the city rejected the concept in a July 24 meeting.

"Since the city of Santa Ana has summarily rejected our planned use and is threatening a lawsuit for abatement, we have no option but to demolish the fire-damaged building," Jones said in an Aug. 7 email.

City officials said in July that the site, at 1660 E. First St., was zoned general commercial, as opposed to residential.

"The city was only asking for the plan that described what was going to be done and when," City Attorney Sonia R. Carvalho said in a July 31 email to the Register. "We received a response from Saddleback saying that they planned to explore the possibility of locating a senior housing project on the property. I told the lawyer that they were free to do that, but they still had to submit the plan and if they did not do so we would seek Council authority to file an action."

The hotel, which eventually expanded to 231 rooms, opened in 1964, becoming a popular Orange County gathering place. By the 1980s, it began a downward slide as a result of competition from newer hotels. It has been closed since 2003. According to news stories, the hotel operator is in a 55-year land lease with the Elks, due to expire in 2019.

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